Captive - Exsisiting AS Level Media Opening Sequence Analysis

Captive Analysis

The first AS level piece I am going to analyse is “Captive”. A false age certificate has been created and placed at the start of the piece to create a sense of authenticity. The establishing shot is a close up shot of male hands ties behind a chair with rope, covered in blood. The mise-en-scene here instantly connotes the thriller genre and suggests themes of kidnap, abduction and torture. A sound bridge is used from the black screen before the establishing shot is shown, of single raindrops, creating a sinister atmosphere, typical of thriller. We then see a shot of the protagonist’s ankles, strapped to chair legs with rope. From seeing this characters shoes as converse sneakers, this implies they are fairly young. The mise-en-scene in this shot suggests the torture/kidnap themes further, as the chair is placed in a puddle of water and blood, which is also smeared on the legs of the character. We are then shown a medium shot of the characters face, again covered in blood, fitting with conventional mise-en-scene of thrillers. Behind the protagonist is graffiti that the camera isn’t focused on. This element of mise-en-scene suggests an urban setting but not high class, and in a secluded area. In this shot we begin to see titles, which are shown in a jumpy, technical manner, suggesting unease and abnormality. We then hear the diegetic sound of camera filming, suggesting a narrative enigma of kidnap and that he is being watched.

 There is a quick cut from this to a split screen of CCTV footage, and the protagonist is in one of the quarters.  This editing technique is effective because it shows the viewer a further detailed view of the setting and causes a sense of uneasiness, making the viewer wonder who is watching. We then hear a high pitched sound that is drawn-out, played in time to the camera losing focus, which is typical in thrillers when showing a flashback. A sound bridge is used to carry the high pitched nose across to the next shot, which is an extreme close up of the characters bloodied face. The director has used this to plant enigma codes in the viewers mind. Shot-reverse-shot is used from the protagonist to the protagonists’ point of view which isn’t focused, suggesting he has suffered and isn’t in a clear state of mind. There is silence before a loud non-diegetic bang, shocking the viewer and grasping their attention. From this, suspenseful music continues throughout the next few shots, building in intensity, conventional of the thriller genre. As the music quietens, we hear the struggled breathing of the protagonist, becoming more and more panicked. There is then a close up shot of his eyes, to further emphasise the panic and fear created. As the music greatly increases in pitch, we see a split screen of the CCTV camera again, and a girl dressed all in white (typical of horror thriller) walking across one of the quarters, which then cuts out, suggesting this character has supernatural power and may hurt the protagonist. We see a wide shot of the protagonist who begins to scream for help, over the high pitched building non-diegetic orchestral music, as the antagonist walks past the window in the shot, creating an eerie atmosphere. Quick cut editing is now used to show flash back shots of how this narrative came to unfold, showing the protagonist without blood and injury, walking around a rural area. This juxtaposed mise-en-scene suggests he is in the urban setting against his will and is being, as the title suggests, held “captive.” Shot reverse shot is used here between flashback shots and the protagonist screaming, and a sound bridge is used of the screaming for help, connoting that the protagonist was completely unaware of his fate. We see a two shot during a flashback of the protagonist walking while the antagonist watches, and he is unaware. All of these camera shots suggest he was abducted by this character. We see a reflection of the protagonist in the water as he is being abducted, typical of title sequences as it plants narrative enigmas, and doesn’t directly show the narrative. After this, a black screen is showed and the title “Captive” is shown in the same typography as the credits were throughout the sequence, and the music and screaming suddenly comes to a stop. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93fH1fUQ-Lw